


A Letter from Home

by BloodyMary, Shanxara



Series: Life and Times of Gretchen Trevelyan [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Fluff and Humor, Older siblings, being shy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2016-03-09
Packaged: 2018-05-25 18:09:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6205420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodyMary/pseuds/BloodyMary, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shanxara/pseuds/Shanxara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just because you are the Herald of Andraste it doesn't mean that you can leave a lifetime of being insecure behind. Fortunately, now Gretchen Trevelyan has friends...</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Letter from Home

By now, it is widely known that Gretchen Trevelyan is alive, and that the member of their family that was their eternal shame – a mage! – might become their greatest asset. Messages arrive. Although they look untouched, Gretchen is rather sure they have been opened, read and resealed, and that some might not reach her at all. Well, her family has several members where she would be glad of interference like that.

  
Many ask for favours, reminisce about meetings in the past (or invent them). There are no too blatant favours to be asked, so she guesses that those ended up being censored. She’s glad. She’d feel bad if she couldn’t do anything, because she is still sort of a prisoner.

  
There is one letter that makes her smile. And annoyed. There is only one person who manages that. Dick. Her older brother Richard. Who earned that nickname with a lot of effort.

  
He starts with “Dearest Blob” and then goes on to write that he probably shouldn't call her that anymore, since clearly, the Herald of Andraste must have a spine. And then he asks if maybe Andraste herself inserted one. There's a number of things about upholding the name of their family, some gossip about people she had not seen since she was little and a joking request to mention him to any lovely women she'd meet.

  
At least, she thinks he's joking. Because, if she has to introduce Seeker Cassandra to Dick... Well, let's hope it does not come to pass—older brothers do not grow on trees, and Dick isn't the worst she could have.

  
And so, she is found by Varric, while she tries to think of an appropriate reply.

  
“What's that?” he asks, in a friendly tone.

  
Gretchen looks up and says, “Oh. Varric. I'm sorry, I didn't notice—I'm trying to write back to my brother and—maybe you could help?”

  
Varric studies Dick's letter for a moment, his eyebrows rising and falling several times.

  
“Blob?” he mouths, and shakes his head. “I'm glad you asked.”

“It's just a silly nickname,” she says, hoping he won't ask how she got it. Well, it's likely not hard to figure out, given the not so subtle allusions to her being spineless.

  
“That’s what siblings are for”, he agrees with a grin. “To drive you crazy.”

  
“I'm not very good at that,” she says, and feels herself blush.

  
“And that is why I'm here—one bona fide annoying younger brother at your service,” Varric replies still grinning. “Now, you tell me what you want to tell him, and I will translate.”

  
That makes her chuckle. “I can’t imagine anyone being angry at you because you ratted them out to the Housekeeper for stealing sweetmeats from the kitchen.” She knows she is blushing all pink and cutesy. The other apprentices would often do that on purpose, because it supposedly was so adorable. “She’d glare at me and say ‘which of the young masters was it this time’ and I’d tell her every time. Even if they didn’t inform me. I don’t know why she couldn’t tell which of them was sticky to their ears and trying to sit on his hands to hide the stains.” She sighs.

  
“I'm afraid, I was the one stealing sweetmeats,” Varric answers and fails to look embarrassed at all.

  
“I just couldn’t eat them anymore.” She shakes her head. “Even when they were served at a dinner, I felt so guilty, I declined.” When she notices the dwarf’s disbelieving look, she shrugs. “I haven’t eaten any since I was a child.”

  
He looks thoughtful for a moment, as he watches her. She shifts nervously under his scrutiny.

  
“So, shall I make your brother feel guilty about those?” he asks.

  
“You… you could do that?” Her voice is barely above a squeak.

  
“I am writer,” Varric laughs. “I get paid to write things that make people feel.”

  
“But I can’t pay you.” That isn’t her money in the pouch on her belt, after all. It’s the Inquisition’s.

  
“For you, I will do it as a favour,” Varric says.

  
“Please.” She smiles at him. “I can’t imagine anyone could do that. Also, I survived my Harrowing. I stood up to a demon. I guess the old dragon wouldn’t scare me anymore. I hope.” She’s aware of another blush creeping up her face. “She can’t be scarier than Cassandra.”

  
“Hah,” Varric chuckles. “The good Seeker is not a dragon—I've met one, and unlike the real thing when Cassandra breathes fire, all that gets singed is your pride.” Then he winks at Gretchen. “But don't tell her that I said that.”

  
It’s so easy to talk to him, to be unguarded, she thinks as she raises her hands and winks back. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” It’s not since she left her family that she has felt so… safe with someone. Everybody else, they want something of her, or she is afraid what they think of her. Except maybe Solas. But she doesn’t want him to think she is stupid, so she has to watch out there, too.

  
“So, how do we start?” Varric asks her, as he takes a quill. “Dear Dick?”

  
She frowns. “He probably thinks he is too important for nicknames now. So maybe, yes?”

  
“Dear Dick,” Varric writes and then looks up at her. “I'm afraid you have been sadly misled as to what involves becoming a Herald of Andraste. My spine is still there, where it has always been, but I did get a demon-banishing hand. What do you think?”

  
Gretchen can’t help but clap. “This is awesome. I’d never come up with something like that. You are a genius.” She reaches out to embrace him and only just stops herself in time, standing there somewhat awkwardly.

  
Varric does not have her qualms, however, and hugs her before the situation can grow more awkward. Well, it still is awkward, but she will take this kind of awkward over the other. “And I'm not even done yet.”

  
Thus, Gretchen finally manages to send her brother the letter she longed for years to write – and gave Dick an extremely awkward afternoon when his wife desperately wanted to find out why he just couldn’t stop laughing about the most innocent things. She just didn’t believe that all he had received was a letter from his sister. “It’s called payback, dear brother. And it’s even sweeter than sweetmeats.”

**Author's Note:**

> With loads of thanks to feynite for being an inspiration. Her DickHerald AU made me ask the question what sort of family would have produced someone like Dick Trevelyan... And that question led to the creation of his little sister, who happens to be a mage. And not actually very well suited to the role she finds herself in.


End file.
